The next day, early in the morning, Rowen woke up at exactly 6:00 a.m.

He lay there for a moment, staring at the wooden ceiling of his small upstairs room. The faint morning light slipped through the shutters, casting narrow beams across the floor.

No noise outside. No footsteps. No market sounds yet. Just silence.

He sat up slowly, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and glanced toward the corner where the portal had shimmered last night. Gone now, but the weight of what he saw of what the land could do still lingered.

Rowen got to his feet, washed his face, and got dressed

Downstairs, the shop waited to be opened. But first, he prepared a quick breakfast—some stew, half a loaf of bread, and water. Nothing fancy, but it filled him up.

After eating, he cleaned the bowl, then stood still for a moment.

The land.

Two hours had definitely passed since last night.

Were the potatoes ready?

Did anything else grow?

Had the energy dropped even more?

Without hesitation, he turned from the shop door and climbed back up to his room again.

Back upstairs, Rowen stood in the center of his room.

"Fern," he called softly.

With a swirl of green light, the tiny sprite appeared mid-air, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded from sleep. His hair was messy, and he looked like he'd just been dragged out of bed.

Fern yawned loudly. "So early?"

Rowen gave him a look. "Open the portal. I need to check the land."

Fern floated lower, muttering something under his breath. "No respect for my sleep…"

His eyes flicked toward Rowen with a tired glare. "And I'm starving too, by the way."

But despite the complaints, he waved his hand lazily.

With a familiar shimmer, the glowing doorway formed once more, pulsing softly with green light.

Rowen stepped forward and placed his hand on the handle.

With a soft click, the portal opened.

He took a deep breath and stepped through.

As Rowen stepped into the familiar open field, a soft breeze brushed against his face. He walked toward the farm plot—and stopped.

The potato plants were fully mature.

Thick green stalks stood tall, and beneath them, fresh potatoes peeked through the soil. They were slightly bigger than the normal ones he used to buy in town.

Rowen crouched down and picked one up.

It felt dense and warm in his hand.

"What kind of potato is this?" he muttered aloud.

Fern floated up beside him and stretched. "You can analyze it, you know. Everything that grows in this land can be examined through your connection to the space."

"My connection?"

Fern pointed at the potato. "Just focus on it. Think about wanting to know more, and the space will respond."

Rowen raised an eyebrow but followed the instruction.

Rowen focused on the potato in his hand.

But this… this was a good start.

Rowen stared at the glowing analysis panel, then glanced back at the plump potato in his hand.

"If this helps with recovery," he muttered, "maybe… someone out there would pay for it."

He turned to Fern. "If I sell one of these… can I get a low-grade mana stone?"

Fern rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Possibly. In bulk, not much. But if you find the right buyer or make it into a cooked dish, its value could go up. People will pay more for something that can recover mana/energy, even a little."

Rowen's eyes sharpened. "So I just need to figure out how to present it. Not as a potato but as a product."

Rowen looked at Fern again. "How many low-grade mana stones do you need to fully recharge the land?"

Fern yawned, then held up six fingers lazily. "Six to fill the energy bar back to full. And… if you're thinking ahead, fifty to upgrade this barren land into proper low-level fertile land."

"Fifty?" Rowen blinked. "That's a lot."

Fern shrugged. "Better soil, faster growth, and more potential abilities unlocked. You want this place to be worth something, right? That's the cost."

Rowen sighed, eyes drifting back to the healthy potato in his hand.

Six stones just to keep things running.

Fifty to really start something.

"I'll find a way," he muttered.

Rowen crouched down and quickly counted the mature potatoes. Thirty in total.

He picked one up again, weighing it in his hand. The size, color, and that faint glow it wasn't an ordinary potato anymore.

"If I can trade three of these for one low-grade mana stone…" he muttered, doing the math in his head, "then thirty should get me ten stones."

Fern nodded, floating nearby. "Not bad for your first harvest."

Rowen smiled faintly. "Six stones to keep the land running. That leaves four to save."

"Smart," Fern said, stretching with a yawn. "Now you just need to find the right buyer."

Rowen looked down at the pile of potatoes.

He finally had something of value.

Rowen looked at the thirty glowing potatoes stacked neatly beside the field.

For the first time, he saw a different path, one that didn't involve becoming a knight or mage.

He could be… a farmer & merchant.

Grow crops in this strange land, harvest them, and sell them for mana stones. Enough to recharge the land, maybe even upgrade it. And with time, more crops, better harvests, and more stones.

It was slow. But steady. Real.

"A farmer, huh…" he muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.

He let out a breath, long and light. "Guess dropping out wasn't so bad after all."

His gaze turned back toward the glowing field, and for the first time in a while, his chest felt light.

This wasn't the future he'd imagined.

He unfolded it with care, the old paper crinkling in his hands.

Rowen,

If you're reading this, you've just returned from your Awakening.

If you awakened, then congratulations. I'm proud of you. Use the crystal I left you to grow stronger. It's yours now, and it's rare. Rarer than anything I could ever explain.

If you didn't awaken… don't be disheartened.

The crystal still holds value. Sell it. Use the money to buy a good home in the upper district. Live peacefully. Live comfortably. That's what I want for you.

The pendant, though—that belongs to you. By blood.

I know you've suspected this… but it's time I said it plainly:

I'm not your real grandfather.

I raised you as best I could. I never told you where you came from because the truth was... too heavy for a child. Maybe it still is. But someday you'll learn it.

And no matter what path you walk—awakened or not—you'll always be my grandson.

Live well, Rowen.

Take care of yourself.

Grandpa always loves you.

Rowen stared at the page until the ink began to blur through watery eyes.

The pendant sat in his palm, warm now. Comforting.

He leaned back in the chair.

He felt hollow—like the world had made its judgment and turned away.

But now, staring at that letter and the strange items…

It didn't feel like an end.

He picked up the mana stone.

The moment it touched his skin, something unexpected happened—mana began to surge into his body.

At first, he panicked.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. He hadn't awakened, and yet… the mana was being absorbed.

But it wasn't him absorbing it.

Something inside him was pulling it in—something he was born with.

He watched in confusion as the mana vanished inside him, as if it was being swallowed whole, leaving behind no trace.

He clenched the mana stone tighter and sat down in a meditation pose, trying to sense where the mana was going.

Minutes turned to hours.

After two hours of rapid absorption, the mana stone cracked.

But still, he found nothing.

Then—something stirred deep within him.

A sensation he had only barely felt during the Awakening ceremony.

His soul shuddered.

Something was awakening.

Something… unlocking.

Then it happened.

As the last trace of mana was drawn in, and the cracked stone fell from his hand, something small and glowing began to float in the air in front of him.

It looked… chubby. No bigger than a melon. A floating, glowing creature—with pointed, elf-like ears and a faint shimmer around its translucent body. Despite its form, it wasn't solid—it hovered effortlessly, passing through the air like a ghost.

Rowen's eyes widened.

The creature blinked, tilting its tiny head curiously, before phasing through the table and floating back up.

His breath caught.

A Soul Artifact.

It wasn't just mana being absorbed.

There was something inside him all along—something that had been asleep, sealed, or forgotten. Something no Awakening Device was made to detect.

He thought back to the moment when during the test. When he placed his hand on the device… he had felt something. Mana, yes, but it had been pulled through him, not into him.

His theory formed quickly.

When the device sent mana to scan his body, it was absorbed, not stored. Whatever was inside him devoured it instantly. So the device, detecting nothing in return, marked him as unawakened.

But the truth?

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